George I of Great Britain
|latest=''The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (video game) |last= |cause= |portrayer= |}} George I (George Louis; German: Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698. He was also the father of George Augustus. Biography George was born in Hanover, and inherited the titles and lands of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg from his father and uncles. A succession of European wars expanded his German domains during his lifetime, and in 1708 he was ratified as prince-elector of Hanover. At the age of 54, after the death of Queen Anne of Great Britain, George ascended the British throne as the first monarch of the House of Hanover. Although over fifty Roman Catholics bore closer blood relationships to Anne, the Act of Settlement 1701 prohibited Catholics from inheriting the British throne. George, however, was Anne's closest living Protestant relative. In reaction, Jacobites attempted to depose George and replace him with Anne's Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart, but their attempts failed. During his reign as king, George I made St. James's Palace his primary headquarters and residence. His son, George II, was given London's Leicester House as his primary royal London residence by George I himself, and was forbidden from returning to St. James's Palace, due to the many clashes between them. During the War of the Spanish Succession, George I dispensed many privateers to raid Spanish merchant shipping''The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, p30., but his decision to withdraw all Letters of Marque when the war ended, forced many of them (particularly Edward Teach) to turn to piracy. Though the King's representative Woodes Rogers offered a Pardon to the pirates of Nassau in 1718, many of them continued with their piratical activities in the Caribbean. In the 1720s, the King appointed Weatherby Swann as the governor of Port Royal, the most important British colony in the central Caribbean.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, p18.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide'' reveals only that Swann was "Appointed by the King of England", without naming the king. However, the timeline established in the fourth and the fifth film in the series and their tie-in materials sets the appointment during the historical reign of King George I. The new governor went to the Caribbean, and discovered that the Caribbean waters were plagued with pirates. During George's reign the powers of the monarchy diminished and Britain began a transition to the modern system of cabinet government led by a prime minister. Towards the end of his reign, actual power was held by Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first de facto prime minister. George I died on a trip to his native Hanover, where he was buried. He was succeeded by George II, where he would rule Great Britain with an iron fist from St. James's Palace. Behind the scenes *King George currently doesn't appear in any POTC product. He was mentioned as "the king" and "King of England" in two in-universe POTC materials, the novel The Price of Freedom and the video game The Curse of the Black Pearl. Although he wasn't clearly named the timeline established in the film series sets both mentions during the historical reign of George I, between 1714 and 1727. He was mentioned by name in the reference book The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook. Also, the plague on the wall of Fort Snobbish in Treasure Cove at Shanghai Disney Resort claims the fort was dedicated to the power and glory of "George, King of Great Britain", in 1715. *The official website for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest stated that King George I had signed Cutler Beckett's Letters of Marque.Powerful letters signed by King George I, giving pirates permission to become a privateer, or pirate hunter. It is the coveted blank check to freedom However, because of the time placement of the first three films during the late 1720s, as well as King George II's appearance in On Stranger Tides, this is incorrect. In The Complete Visual Guide, the King who signed the letters was only referred to as "King George".Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p45. Appearances *''The Price of Freedom'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (video game) Sources *''The Price of Freedom'' *''The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook'' External links Notes and references Category:Kings Category:Inhabitants of London Category:Deceased individuals Category:Real-world individuals Category:Males